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“kind of like…” · No. 11 of 16 textbook swaps
のような→みたいな

Comparisons in speech use みたい. みたいな at the end of a line means “…or something like that”.

Use it withFriends OKCoworkers OKBoss / teacher careful

Fine almost anywhere. Ends of lines: '...or something'.

2,116 lines with 〜みたいな from 242 comedians in the library · the textbook 〜のような: 163 · Counts updated 2026-10-07
Audience laughter in this scene0:16
Top Gun · Cotton Swabs

One performer says they keep the cotton swabs at home carefully sorted into different groups.

Culture note Some devoted idol and anime fans buy several copies of the same merchandise: one to use, one to display, and one to keep untouched.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

Don't talk about them like they're an idol.

Textbookアイドルのように言わないでください。'のように' becomes 'みたいに', attached straight to the noun 'アイドル'; '言わないでください' becomes the blunt prohibition '言うなよ'.

Tone: Rough (お前)Speed: normal
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:09
Uchimatsuge · Dreaming of Being Tall

One performer insists that being short doesn't bother them at all.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

you're all, like, 'I have nothing to say about it.'

Textbook「僕は何とも言いませんよ」というような態度ですね。After a quote, casual 「みたいな」 stands in for 「というような」 ('like…'), and the sentence just trails off with no noun or 「です」 after it.

Speed: fast
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:17
Okaeri Nicholson · The Scandal

Caught eating on the sly at work, someone apologizes, then says what they should have done sooner.

Culture note 自炊 (jisui, cooking for yourself) sounds like 自首 (jishu, turning yourself in), so line 6 sounds like a criminal's confession.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

Don't say it like you're turning yourself in!

Textbook自首のように言わないでください。「みたいに」 is casual 「のように」 ('like'): 「自首のように」→「自首みたいに」. 「言うな」 is a blunt 'don't', replacing 「言わないでください」.

Tone: BluntSpeed: normal
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:19
Machiura Pink · Small Talk with the Company President

A comedian describes an off-the-books gig where they stood outside a phone shop and put smartphone plans into their act.

Culture note A 'yami eigyō' is a gig a comedian takes without going through their talent agency, which agencies generally forbid.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

explaining them to people walking by and getting them to sign up. That kind of thing.

Textbook道行く人に説明して、契約してもらうようなものでした。Casual 「みたいな」 replaces 「ような」 (「のような」 only after a noun; here it follows the verb 「もらう」, so no 「の」). It ends the sentence with the noun dropped, like English '…that kind of thing.'

Speed: fast
All lines

More lines with 〜みたいな

From other routines in the library. Automatic transcripts, not yet checked line by line.

Quick answers

What does 〜みたいな mean?

〜みたいな means “kind of like…”. Comparisons in speech use みたい. みたいな at the end of a line means “…or something like that”.

Is 〜みたいな rude? Who can you say it to?

With friends: OK. With coworkers: OK. With a boss or teacher: careful. Fine almost anywhere. Ends of lines: '...or something'.

〜みたいな or 〜のような: which do people say more?

In 1,905 live comedy routines, 〜みたいな appears in 2,116 lines from 242 comedians, and the textbook 〜のような in 163 lines.

Sixteen textbook swaps